The Internet and media enabled portable computing devices have dramatically altered the processes for generating and consuming media content. Presently, users can consume media content virtually anywhere at any time, as long as they have access for a media capable device with an Internet connection. The convenience of being able to view media content via the Internet, essentially on demand, has resulted in explosive growth of Internet media consumption. Internet media traffic is currently approaching a majority of consumer Internet traffic, and the rate of demand is projected to continue increasing.
The explosive growth of Internet media traffic is at least partially attributable to the inherent portability of digital media content, and simplicity of accurate reproduction. However, these characteristics also make protecting the rights of digital media content owners challenging. Millions of people around the world have the capability to consume and produce digital media content, and popular online services can receive tens of hours worth of newly uploaded content every minute.
A technique that has been commonly employed by online services to protect media content is requiring consumers to employ a content protection or digital rights management solution that controls consumption and/or usage of the media content. However, content protection and/or digital rights management solutions can have far reaching permissions, and impact portions of a computing system that the user may not expect or understand. Typically, users have little knowledge or control over the invasiveness of a content protection or digital rights management solution required by a content provider.